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–+ servings
Close up of one slice of blueberry cake with a fork and more slices of the cake in the background.

Blueberry Tea Cake with Maple Syrup

Beth Lee
Blueberry Tea Cake with Maple Syrup looks like a cake but if you close your eyes, you'll think you're digging into a stack of luscious blueberry pancakes dripping with maple syrup.
4.89 from 9 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course bread, Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 287 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup preferably Grade B (but any will do)
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • ⅝ cup milk (½ cup plus 2 tablespoons)
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (was 6 tablespoons of melted butter)
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries or frozen, do not thaw

For the maple glaze (optional)

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ⅛ cup confectioners' sugar
  • pinch of kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square cake pan.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients -- flour(s), baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    Dry ingredients in a big red bowl with a small whisk.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients -- the maple syrup, egg, milk, and olive oil.
    Wet ingredients for blueberry tea cake in a red bowl with a whisk nearby.
  • Pour the maple syrup mixture into the flour mixture and gently mix together until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.
    Frozen blueberries added to batter in the red bowl.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean - about 30 minutes.
  • While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze ingredients.
    Glaze ingredients for blueberry tea cake in a measuring cup.
  • Let the cake cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack. If you are going to glaze the cake, set the wire rack over a parchment-lined sheet pan. Once the cake is slightly cooled, run the tip of a knife or spatula around the sides to loosen it. Place a plate over the cake and flip it over onto the plate, tapping the sides and bottom of the pan to make sure the cake is free. Remove the pan, turn the cake over and place it back on the wire rack over the sheet pan. (or put it directly on a serving platter)
    Baked olive oil blueberry cake on a wire rack.
  • If using the glaze, place the butter in a small microwaveable bowl, melt in the microwave. Then add the syrup, powdered sugar and pinch of salt and mix well.
    Glaze for blueberry tea cake melted in measuring cup.
  • Poke holes in the cake with a toothpick or thin skewer, then pour the warm glaze over the cake, letting the excess glaze drip onto the baking sheet or serving platter. If you poured it over parchment, once you place the cake on its serving platter, you can carefully lift the parchment and pour the rest of the glaze over the cake. Slice and serve.
    Glaze poured over olive oil blueberry cake while on cooling rack placed over a sheet of parchment.

Notes

  1. If the blueberries are wet or defrosting, mix them with a little flour before adding to the batter.
  2. Keep an eye on your cake in the oven (not by opening the oven frequently though). If you use a darker pan like I did or a different size pan, or your oven runs cold or hot, your bake time may differ. Always check at least five minutes prior to the recipe's suggested time.
  3. Serving this cake without the glaze works, especially as the blueberries ooze their baked berry goodness throughout the quick bread just as they do in griddled blueberry pancakes.
  4. For even more flavor, add some orange or lemon zest to the batter - it will marry beautifully with the blueberries.

Nutrition

Calories: 287kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 5gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 200mgPotassium: 242mgFiber: 2gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 163IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 95mgIron: 1mg
Keyword blueberries, maple syrup, quick bread
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